This blog is an ongoing record of traveling world with bamboo bike and starting / growing up social enterprise,"Bamboo Samurai". Bamboo Samurai will make bamboo bike and attractive bamboo products by using only Japanese bamboo. I will contribute to develop craftsmanship, coexist with bamboo forests in Japan and to build ecological world all over the world. I am loving Nature, biking, and bamboo. Please keep supporting Bamboo Samurai! Bamboo Samurai Founder,Takashi

January 26, 2011

Tyo happy! I reaceived a newspaper from Placerville, California tonight. I and bamboo bike appeared on a front-page of that newspaper with New Year celebration 2011! At Placerville I home-stayed at a house of "cool lady" 's with Ben and bamboo bikes. At that wonderful night she played "Orinoco Flow" with piano for us. Also we drank some beers,"Coors light" together and took great rest with talking and spent one of the happiest time.

An additional story about us there is now. On January 24, 2011, when I appeared on Japanese radio, "Flowers", I asked the director of that radio program to play "Orinoco Flow"as a good memory in United States. He was so kind and excited that he played "Orinoco Flow" on that radio program. Cool. thanks.

January 24, 2011

There has been no rained these days in Tokyo..
On January 24, I appeared on Japanese radio program, "Flowers", via Japan FM networks, which locates near Hanzoumon sta., Tokyo. I talked to Eiko Matsumoto, D.J., a famous singer, about my activity with bamboo bike. Her voice is tyo clear, transparent, pretty, beautiful, if you have time, please listen her songs, one of her beautiful songs, "Squall", tyo good!. On that radio, we talked about, "what is bamboo bike?", "how was homestay in United States?", "What is donation project?"..etc. I was tyo happy to talk these things, because of promotion of bamboo bike, bamboo, kind people, friends met in United States, donation project. Also thank you so much, Eiko Matsumoto-san, staffs of "Flowers".
My donation project, is "Bamboo Samurai for Glide Church", plans to donate 4 bamboo plants and 20-25 bamboo dining bowls and plates to church in San Francisco, please join us, also please donate, thanks, keep going. Takashi 2011/1/24 @Hanzoumon

January 22, 2011

On January 17, I was invited to the debuts press interview of Ashoka Japan, there I handed out presentation data of Bamboo Samurai's activity to the staff of Ashoka Japan. Ashoka is a fund which invests to individuals who contribute to solve social problem in the world. Cool. This special meeting also wonderful experience were tyo happy and very proudful for me and bamboo bike, hoping from their contacts in the future, Bamboo Samurai will keep going, keep going. Thank you so much for everyone who have been supporting me and bamboo bike, keep going with friends.

("Bill Drayton, debuts press interview of Ashoka Japan")

After that meeting I met Ben strong at Ebisu, Japan, Ebisu is a famous place for beer brewing in Japan, "Ebisu beer" is one of the most famous beer in Japan. Ben, who is a staff of VIA, traveled with bamboo bike together in California, so kind that he taught me English, how to cook, how to camp in the beginning of our journey, also sent me his bamboo bike after accident(my first bamboo bike was broken at that accident). I enjoyed eating Vietnam foods with him and his friends in Ebisu. Thank you Ben.
Yesterday, 1/21 I got an application of Ph.D of mechanical engineering of Doshisha University, have to prepare for the entrance exam held on Feb 18, to make bamboo bike by myself.

("Chibi")

Yesterday I also received a request to live appearance of Japanese radio program, wow! The program is "Flowers", via Japanese FM networks, by DJ Eiko Matsumoto, a famous singer. On that radio I will talk about some stories that I and bamboo bike were helped, supported by many people whom we met in the journey of United States. "Flowers" will set to some radio stations in Japan from Monday to Thursday 13:30-16:45, each frequency you can check via this site, Bamboo Samurai will set to air on 1/24 15:20-15:40, if you have time, please listen, stay tune, thanks. Takashi 2011/1/22 @Komae-city, Tokyo

January 15, 2011

Now I stay in a classroom of Keio University, my school. Yesterday, I finished doing presentation of University, that presentation reported about bamboo products, bamboo in Japan and journey with bamboo bike. In that happy presentation there were some laughter, serious suggestions. After presentation my professor said to me, "exciting presentation". Now I feel a sense of relief. And Bamboo Samurai was aired to Japanese radio, INTERFM 76.1, "Concerned Generation" yesterday, listened with my aunt at home, I felt tyo happy. The next airing will set to next Saturday 16:30-17:00 via INTERFM 76.1, "Concerned Generation. Tomorrow a prayer-for-debuts press interview of "Ashoka Japan" will be held, Bamboo Samurai is very glad to be invited to that event, may get chance to talk Bill Drayton, CEO of Ashoka, so now I prepare another presentation to them in a classroom of Keio University. These 2 photos "tyo-chin" and "new species of insect found in Papua New Guinea", I used in my presentation of University yesterday.

1."Airing on radio", on January 15, 16:30-17:00, via "Concerned Generation" of INTERFM 76.1 in Japan,
Bamboo Samurai will appear on the radio next time, if you have time, get interested in this activity, please listen, thanks.

2."Bamboo Samurai for Glide Memorial Church", on facebook causes,
17members have already joined into this projetct, also $50 has been already donated, thanks.

Bamboo Samurai continues fund-raising via this project on facebook and plans to donate some bamboo product to Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, if you get interested in this project, please join us, donate to this project, help me to promote this project.
This project is to raise awareness of Eco friendly living. Bamboo Samurai plans to donate some bamboo plants and bamboo dining bowls and plates. Bamboo plants will be planted inside that Glide church and bamboo dining bowls and plates will be used in the kitchen of that Glide church.

("Hanukkah party")

For these days I spend busy days to prepare for presentation of thesis held in Keio University on January 15. In spite of that days, I enjoyed riding on bamboo bike2 around Komae-city, enjoyed reading some books, novels/poems of Edgar Poe, novels of Seityo Matsumoto, Koji Suzuki. The time with bamboo bike2, also reading those novels/poems provide me concentration and peace time, have finished these novels/poems as follows these days.

・A Descent into the Maelstrom by Edgar Poe
・William Wilson by Edgar Poe
・The Gold Bag by Edgar Poe
・The Fall of the House of Usher, some poems by Edgar Poe
・Point and Line by Seityo Matsumoto
・Howl of Steel by Koji Suzuki
Takashi 2011/1/13 @Komae city, Tokyo

January 10, 2011

I watched documentary film aired on BS-TBS, "Ginrin no Kaze" on January 10, 23:30-24:00 with my aunt. That film was tyo cool, in that film there were many scenery in Japan, United States, Golconda, New York, also in Kentucky. I felt nostalgia for United States, Golconda, many many cities which I visited with bamboo bike again. I felt gratitude for everyone whom we met in United States, also in Japan again. Thank you so much, my friends! And I got power from this film. Also I should say thank you so much for Hiro who produced this film. Hiro was so earnest that did such this tyo great work. Hiro is a good cameraman, editor,also journalist, I think. Thank you so much, Hiro! After talking to Hiro, and his company, I will/want to post this film on this blog.

January 7, 2011

I already moved to Komae city, Tokyo 3 days ago. Also bamboo bike arrived at Tokyo 2 days ago. I handed out thesis for University on January 6, but there are some parts to correct in that thesis, so I have been spending busy days to write thesis, read reference books for this January, February, March. It is cold but does not snow in Tokyo. 2 days ago, on January 6, I took part in a radio program as a guest, "Concerned Generation", on INTER FM 76.1MHz. I talked about my journey with bamboo bike in United States, also about neglected bamboo forests in Japan on that radio program. It was the first experience to visit radio station for me, so it was fun to me. That "talk show" on that radio, will set on air divided into 2 parts, the first will set to air on 1/15 4:30p.m. - 5:00p.m., the second will set to air on 1/22 4:30p.m. to 5:00 p.m., both on INTER FM 76.1MHz. If you have time, please listen!

("In InterFM studio")

("Angel teddy pan", Rira kuma, Mr. doughnut)

On this week also, I have to prepare for presentation of thesis on January 15 in Keio University.

January 1, 2011

I spent this happy time, New year with my family, drink "Sake" at morning, afternoon, also night, ate traditional foods, "Osechi". This year is "rabbit year" in Japan. I took some photos of rabbit in a zoo. Pretty. Takashi 2011.1.1 @Osaka